U.S. President Donald Trump embarked on a high-stakes trip to Asia on Friday night, aiming to secure new trade and ceasefire agreements while navigating growing tensions with China.
The five-day visit to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea marks Trump’s longest foreign tour since beginning his second term in January and comes as Washington and Beijing trade new threats over technology and critical minerals.
The centerpiece of Trump’s journey is a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday, though Beijing has yet to confirm it.
The White House said the meeting is intended to manage disputes and explore “modest improvements” rather than a sweeping breakthrough.
Officials say an interim deal could involve partial tariff relief, increased Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and Boeing aircraft, or relaxed U.S. restrictions on semiconductor exports.
“Nothing is off the table, but nothing is guaranteed either,” said a senior U.S. official. “This is about stabilizing the relationship, not reinventing it.”
Washington and Beijing have exchanged escalating trade restrictions since Trump’s second inauguration, with both sides imposing new tariffs and threatening to block exports of key minerals and technologies.
Trump has warned he could raise tariffs on Chinese imports to as high as 155% from November 1 if no deal is reached, a move likely to trigger retaliation from Beijing.
Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan and China’s oil purchases from Russia. Trump has also said he plans to raise the detention of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who remains jailed under Beijing’s national security laws.
“It’s on my list. I’m going to ask … we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters before departing Washington.
The president’s Asia trip begins Sunday at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, where he may oversee the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. He will then travel to Tokyo to meet Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, who is expected to reaffirm $550 billion in planned investments in the U.S.
Trump’s final stop in Busan will also feature discussions with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung amid tensions over U.S. investment demands and deportations of Korean workers.
The White House has ruled out a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, though Trump left the door open, saying, “If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it. They don’t have a lot of telephone service.”
The trip underscores Trump’s effort to balance his “America First” trade agenda with his ambition to project global leadership. “The high-level question on this trip is really, who does the United States stand with, and what does it stand for,” said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Whether Trump returns to Washington with new deals or more diplomatic friction remains to be seen, but the outcome could shape the trajectory of U.S.-China relations for years to come.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
